8 US sailors attempted suicide during prolonged USS Abraham Lincoln deployment, Navy says
Eight US sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during its prolonged deployment, the acting US Navy secretary has disclosed after months of concerns over conditions and crew well-being aboard the carrier.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed the suicide attempts in a letter to Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who had sought information about the well-being of sailors aboard the carrier, the BBC reported.
The eight sailors served across the Lincoln crew, its carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and embarked aviation squadrons, Cao said.
The Navy had previously denied that a mental health crisis was taking place aboard the Lincoln, which carried about 5,000 personnel.
Cao said five chaplains and several mental health professionals were available aboard the carrier to support the crew.
His letter denied broader reports of broken plumbing and fresh food shortages but acknowledged temporary localized piping failures, problems with desalination units and a reduction in meal options for a “short time.”
Gillibrand criticized the Trump administration’s previous response to reports about conditions aboard the carrier.
“What Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismissed as ‘fake news’ turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members,” she told the BBC.
The Lincoln left California in November and was later sent to the Middle East ahead of US attacks on Iran in February. Its deployment, originally scheduled to end in May, was repeatedly extended. The carrier is now returning to the United States after being replaced by the USS George Washington in August.
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